​As head coach Steve Sarkisian took the stage in Tampa at SEC Media Days, focus shifted to a massive addition to the 2026 roster as consensus five-star cornerback John Meredith reclassified to the 2026 recruiting class and signed with the Texas Longhorns, the school announced on Thursday.Welcome to the 40 Acres, @JOHN_MEREDITH2 🤘 pic.twitter.com/s7HMN8IHeD— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) July 23, 2026The decision by the 6’2.5, 187-pounder comes a little more than a month after he committed to Texas over Alabama and Texas A&M, but a more important development happened this month when the UIL denied Meredith’s eligibility appeal.After Meredith’s mother got married last fall, they moved in with his stepfather as the talented cornerback switched schools from Euless Trinity to North Crowley, a decision that was ultimately deemed an athletic move by Euless Trinity and upheld by the UIL.And although initially speculation centered around Meredith spending his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida, he was able to complete enough credits to reclassify and enroll at Texas for the 2026 season.Previously ranked as the No. 3 player nationally and the No. 1 cornerback, Meredith will step into a deep and talented cornerback room on the Forty Acres coached by Mark Orphey.The lofty rankings reflect Meredith’s combination of refined technique and elite physical skills that help him play in press or off coverage, the former particularly important in new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp’s aggressive schemes.Because Sarkisian was on stage when the news broke, he was able to answer a question about Meredith, who just turned 18.“He provides great length, great speed, tremendous man-to-man ability. Very confident, very aggressive — all the attributes you want in a defensive back. It’s not a secret why he was a top two or three player in the country in the 2027 class. So for us to get him now, we’ll see how far we can take him,” Sarkisian said.“Like I told he and his mom, Coach Muschamp, Coach Orphey, we don’t have an expectation on him of a timetable. We’re going to coach him. We’re going to develop him. When he’s ready, I think he’ll be good enough to play. How long that takes to get him ready, that’s going to be the race. That’s the challenge. Week One, Week Four, Week Eight, I don’t know. I do know he’s got the right competitive spirit. I do know he’s got the skill set and the ability to be a good player for us. How long it takes, we’ll find out.”There will surely be a learning curve for Meredith since he was unable to participate in spring practice or summer conditioning with the Longhorns. The new five-for-five eligibility rules surely made the reclassification decision easier for Meredith, who should have a chance to compete for a role on special teams while acclimating to college football, even though he probably won’t need to use his fifth season of eligibility — Meredith always projected as a potent